Hunting Season of Javelina vs. Wild Hogs

As mentioned in an earlier blog, javelina live in 3 states: Arizona, New Mexico

Feral Pigs & Javelinas Can Do Incredible Damage to Suburban Yards When Other Food is Scarce!

and Texas.* If you are interested in hunting javelina here, there are 2 zones in Texas, with a 2 animal/year limit.

In Texas, there is no season for feral hogs – there is no annual limit, nor is hunting limited to certain days or months. **

Hunting the Javelina & Wild Hog in Texas

Most youngsters have their first experience with a javelina while hunting for whitetail deer. The seasons often overlap and even in areas with few deer, there are often plenty of javelina.

Things to Worry About When Hunting These Pigs

Even if you’ve read my 2 previous articles *** about the collared peccary (javelina), you are NOT ready to hunt wild pigs or javelinas. I only talked about their sweet side.

Before you start to aim your center-fire rifle, muzzleloaders or archery equipment, we need to talk about their “not-so-cute-and-cuddly” side.

Although not usually aggressive, they are wary, challenging and quite intelligent.

When cornered, wounded or protecting their piglings (or piglets), they can turn ugly. Actually, they were born ugly; they can become dangerous!

Oh, and the Other Thing I Didn’t Mention …

These animals come with razor-sharp tusks. If wounded, they are going to be looking for someone to share their unhappiness with …. Don’t let it be you!

Successful Hunters Know the Animal’s Habits

Both the collared peccary and the feral pig are omnivores, eating cacti, grasses, roots and tubers.

The wild swine have well-developed senses, while the javelina has poor eyesight, average hearing and an excellent sense of smell.

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Come Back Tomorrow: For The Rest of this Article!

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* Javelina have migrated from their original habitat in South America. Thus, they are also available in South & Central America, as well as Mexico. For this discussion, I’m only discussing hunting these animals – javelina and feral hogs — in the US.

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** In fact, if you recall a previous article I wrote about the problem we are having with feral pigs in Texas, you know we are actively inviting hunters to help us cut the numbers of these nuisance animals in our state!